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Jallianwala Bagh memorial, with names of 492 martyrs on its walls, to be unveiled in Amritsar today

Written by Joydeep Bose | Edited by Meenakshi Ray, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Aug 14, 2021 07:00 AM IST

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary memorial, set to be unveiled in Amritsar by the Punjab chief minister on Saturday, is intended as a mark of respect to all those who were martyred at the site over a century ago. The structure was elevated at Anand Amrit Park in the Ranjit Avenue locality.

On the eve of Independence Day 2021, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh will on Saturday inaugurate the Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary memorial in Amritsar. The chief minister is presently on a two-day visit to the holy city and will introduce the memorial commemorating the passage of more than a century since the tragedy which unfolded there on April 13, 1919.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary memorial, remembering the martyrs, at Anand Amrit Park at Ranjit Avenue in Amritsar. (Sameer Sehgal/HT PHOTO)

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre is a painful reminder for India of all the lives lost during the country's struggle for freedom against British colonial rule. The incident is particularly haunting because it involved a large crowd of peaceful protesters being ruthlessly shot at by armed British soldiers under the command of brigadier-general REH Dyer. According to subsequent inquiry committees probing the firing, at least 1,000 people were killed in Jallianwala Bagh, more than 1,200 were injured and 192 people were reported to have suffered “grave” injuries. The incident went down in history as a “massacre”, implying a sense of wanton murder and indiscriminate killing inflicted upon a defenceless crowd.

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The Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary memorial, set to be unveiled in Amritsar by the Punjab chief minister on Saturday, is intended as a mark of respect to all those who were killed at the site over a century ago. The structure has been elevated at Anand Amrit Park in the city's Ranjit Avenue locality.

The memorial has been set up over 4,490 square metres at a cost of 3.5 crore to serve as a memory of the Jallianwala Bagh martyrs for future generations. The foundation stone was laid by the chief minister in January this year.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre memorial has the names of 492 martyrs engraved on its walls, according to the list available with the Amritsar deputy commissioner’s office. The chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, will also honour the martyrs’ families on the occasion.

Notably, the Punjab government has been able to trace the family members of only 29 martyrs.

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